According to local reports, Indian police have apprehended suspected cryptocurrency investment scammers in the Maharashtra region of India. According to authorities, the criminals proposed all sorts of fake crypto trading and investment to their unsuspecting victims. The police mentioned that about three suspects associated with the gang were arrested in the Amboli region.
The arrested suspects have been remanded in police custody, a move that was ordered by the court as investigations continue.
Some of the arrested gang members include Mohammad Subhani Mohammed Umar Khan from Uttar Pradesh, Gufran Khan from Madhya Pradesh, and Sahil Mustafa Quereshi from Gujarat. According to reports, the police got help, which aided their quest to apprehend the suspects who were spread across different locations.
Indian police arrests suspects linked to crypto investment scams
According to reports, the scammers’ activities first appeared when a 19-year-old student from Chembur filed a complaint with the police. The student told the authorities in the Mumbai region that he had just been scammed. According to the student’s statement, the issue started in November 2024, after he became interested in crypto trading. Being a novice in the sector, he called one of his friends to ask questions regarding crypto trading activities.
The friend, not being very experienced in the industry, gave him a phone number to call for information. After he got the number, the student called the person and was told that he would pay Rs. 87 for a unit of cryptocurrency. He was also assured of a discount if he could purchase digital assets worth Rs. 2 lakhs from the person he called. Seeing that it was a mouth-watering offer, he agreed to pay the money.
The student then agreed with the scammer to meet at a location where they would make the exchange. According to the student, he went to the location and paid the money after he was guaranteed to get the corresponding digital assets. After the assurance of sending the digital asset, the accused disappeared and did not return. The student, discovering that he had been scammed, went to the police station to report the crime.
Investigations unravel the criminal organization
The police, after registering the complaint, started their investigations, which unraveled the criminal organization. The suspects were apprehended and remanded at the police station. According to the police, their efforts were aided by CCTV footage from the area of the crime and other technical tools like software to track their mobile phones.
According to the authorities, Mohammed Subhani Mohammed Umar Khan, Sahil Mustafa Quereshi, and Gufran Khan were arrested from different locations.
After their interrogation, the police mentioned that the suspects confessed to the crimes, noting that they knowingly misled crypto investors through their illegal operations. Mohammed Subhani Mohammed Umar Khan resides in the Ambedkar Nagar region in Ashrafpur Kichhauchha, while the second suspect Sahil Mustafa Quereshi lives in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The last suspect, Gufran Khan lives in Madhya Pradesh.
After the court sentence, the police continued their investigations into the suspects’ criminal backgrounds, as they suspected that they may be tied to more crimes of similar nature. The police are also trying to figure out if there are other members of the gang still at large.
The authorities revealed that scammers have been actively trying to trap new investors in the crypto market, taking advantage of their limited knowledge.